Hannover, Germany. The surface treatment technologies on show at HANNOVER MESSE are being repositioned. The content previously covered by the Industrial Supply fair held under the umbrella of HANNOVER MESSE is being moved to a new showcase called the "SurfaceTechnology Area", where visitors will continue to find the entire breadth and depth of surface treatment and finishing offerings every two years. The decision was taken in mid-January by Deutsche Messe and the companies represented by the exhibitors’ advisory committee for SurfaceTechnology. The repositioning means clear benefits for the exhibitors at SurfaceTechnology in terms of increased exposure to potential customers and increased visitor traffic. The new SurfaceTechnology Area will be staged for the first time in 2017, and every two years thereafter it will form part of the lineup at Industrial Supply as the leading international trade fair for innovative subcontracting solutions and lightweight construction.

"This is another step in our strategy aimed at growing the core disciplines covered at HANNOVER MESSE while at the same time doing justice to ever greater connectivity across technologies and industrial sectors", explained Marc Siemering, Deutsche Messe’s Senior Vice-President for HANNOVER MESSE. "Like our exhibitors and visitors, we see the benefits that arise when we focus on major flagship fairs as well as displays tailored to specific topics." A recent case in point was the merging of the former trade shows MobiliTec and Wind into the much larger trade fair Energy. "Surface technology will always receive key emphasis at HANNOVER MESSE", added Siemering. "The new concentration of themes means that we can meet the needs and requirements of our exhibitors more effectively, while at the same time retaining the established SurfaceTechnology brand name."

With the SurfaceTechnology Area located within the Industrial Supply fair, surface technology exhibitors will find themselves in close contact with their most important target groups, and will benefit from significantly more visitor traffic. For many years now, Industrial Supply has been a strong visitor magnet, also and especially for trade visitors from abroad. Beyond this, many exhibitors at Industrial Supply are themselves users – or potential users – of surface treatment technology in one form or another. Chief among these are companies specializing in industrial materials, adhesive and fastening technology, metal castings or lightweight construction. Yet another factor: Value-adding chains are becoming ever more closely integrated. But the benefits are not only on the exhibitor side: Visitors will appreciate the convenience of finding the entire value-adding chain – from pre-treatment, coating and post-treatment to end product – in a single hall.

What the industry is saying about the new SurfaceTechnology Area

Dr. Thomas Schräder, Managing Director of the VDMA Air-Handling Technology Association, chairman of the exhibitors’ advisory committee for SurfaceTechnology:

"For the suppliers of surface treatment technology, industrial materials and lightweight construction are both important issues. And it works both ways: the lightweight construction industry needs surface finishing technology in order to market certain products successfully – such as sheet steel that combines high strength with extreme thinness. Surface treatment and finishing are an integral part of design and construction, after all. For areas such as corrosion protection, protection against wear and tear, the lotus effect or aesthetic appearance, surface finishing specialists are trusted problem-solvers, the professionals for outstanding product characteristics. Whether a product functions properly or not is often determined by the quality of its surface finish. This reformatting of SurfaceTechnology at HANNOVER MESSE makes it much easier for visitors to get a complete overview of the complex value-adding chains involved – without having to walk long distances across the exhibition complex."

Jens Fechner, Head of Market Communications at ContiTech, chairman of the exhibitors’ advisory committee for Industrial Supply:

"The leading trade fair Industrial Supply presents industrial solutions for all sectors of industry, drawing on a wide range of different materials. With the integration of Surface Technology into Industrial Supply, industrial materials, innovative technical developments and surface treatment technologies will all be under one roof, which makes things so much easier for visitors in general. So the integration of Surface Technology is definitely a gain for Industrial Supply."

Christoph Matheis, CEO of Zentralverband Oberflächentechnik (ZVO):

"We and our exhibitors have been arguing since 2013 that surface technology ought to be integrated into Industrial Supply, since it has applications right across the industry spectrum. Well over half of the exhibitors with stands at Industrial Supply are customers of businesses in the electroplating sector."

Holger Weidmann, Managing Director of Krautzberger GmbH:

"This brings us much closer to our target buyer sectors at HANNOVER MESSE. As from 2017, visitors who come to Hannover to learn about new materials will also be able to get information about coatings and finishes – direct from the suppliers. In future, we’ll be able to prepare more selectively for specific themes at the show, and gear our presentation to the displays of new materials from other exhibitors close by."

Achim Heimer, Managing Director of Heimer Lackieranlagen und Industrielufttechnik GmbH & Co. KG:

"Having a regular presence at HANNOVER MESSE every two years, as an exhibitor at SurfaceTechnology, has always been extremely important for us and our customers. Incorporating surface technology into Industrial Supply could have very positive benefits for the future. As a manufacturer of painting and coating plant, for example, we will be much closer to many of our customers – quite literally, as we will be exhibiting in the same hall. So there could be some interesting synergies here for exhibiting companies."

Dr. Thomas Fries, Managing Director of FRT Fries Research & Technology GmbH:

"The integration of SurfaceTechnology into Industrial Supply will surely produce big benefits for the companies that usually exhibit at SurfaceTechnology, partly because the other exhibitors at this flagship trade fair have a natural interest in the technologies featured at SurfaceTechnology, and partly because their visitors are also potential customers for surface technology in all its forms. So it is important that SurfaceTechnology in its new guise is located close to the relevant thematic content within Industrial Supply. And to complete the picture, microsystems technology should ideally be positioned in the same thematic context, where it would also serve as a bridge between SurfaceTechnology and Digital Factory. Here too we would expect to see a lot of useful crossover on both sides."

New location in Hall 6 – home base for industrial materials and lightweight construction

Starting in 2017, the SurfaceTechnology Area will be located in Hall 6, alongside the displays of materials such as ceramics, plastics and rubber, and also close to the major presentation of lightweight construction. So the focus is on subcontracting solutions for materials and materials processing. As the leading trade fair for innovative subcontracting solutions, Industrial Supply is the premier international showcase for processes, materials, and the topic that everyone is talking about: lightweight construction. It embraces a huge variety of competing and complementary processes and materials, which provide the best solution for every application. Industrial Supply presents subcontracting solutions for every stage of the value-adding chain – from materials know-how, development, construction and processes all the way through to parts, components and systems. Surface treatment technology is a perfect fit for this type of display environment. The range of exhibits remains as before.

Unchanged biennial cycle (in alternation with O&S)

The SurfaceTechnology Area will remain on a two-year cycle, alternating with O&S in Stuttgart, which showcases surface technology and its applications across the industry spectrum in the even-numbered years. In Stuttgart the exhibitors can expect to reach professionals from south Germany in particular, as well as from neighboring European countries. In Hannover the exhibitors benefit from a global audience, the synergies generated between the different sectors of industry represented at the show, and the special role of HANNOVER MESSE as an economic driver and market barometer.